The Secret Room of Kaatu Temple
Chapter 1
Priya fought her way through the fierce, tangled branches of the jungle, forcing a pathway where none had ever existed. The plants attacked her arms and legs, leaving thin, stinging scratches that oozed tiny droplets of blood. But she didn’t have time to worry about her scrapes. Everyone was depending on her. She pushed on, struggling to breathe in heat that squeezed her lungs like giant rubber bands tightening around her chest. She burst into a clearing and found herself at the base of an incredibly steep and rocky hill. She hesitated, gulping air to catch her breath, and gazed upward, shielding her eyes from the fierce rays of the sun.
There, perched on top of the arching hill, stood the temple, painted in bold colors that shimmered in the blazing light, with a stone staircase that cascaded down the hillside to the gracious valley below. A chill danced down her spine despite the heat. She couldn’t believe it. She had finally found Lord Murugan’s temple after all these days of searching. The thrill of success shot through her veins, filling her with incredible energy, and she began to sprint up the carefully laid, stone stairs.
At first the ascent was easy, but as time passed, the endless stairway stretched itself further and further, making the task seem impossible. Would she ever make it to the top? Dark clouds bubbled in the restless sky above her and a hot, powerful wind whipped around her tired body and threatened to blow her from the steps. She had a weird feeling that something wasn’t right. If she didn’t turn back now, something terrible was going to happen, she just knew it. But she couldn’t stop herself. The mysterious temple pulled her toward it with outstretched, unseen arms. Her heart raced. She was sure that it would burst at any moment. Her thigh muscles ached as though they’d been pounded by a thousand tiny hammers. Sweat dripped from her shirt, but she didn’t stop climbing. Just as she touched the top step, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She spun around--
Priya woke with a start, struggling to focus her eyes in the darkness. Where was she? She shivered and pulled her sweater around her lanky shoulders. Most of the airplane passengers were attempting to sleep, covered by useless, mini-blankets that reached just beneath their knees. Her sister, Jaya, seated beside her, leaned over and whispered, “Did you dream about the temple again?”
Priya sank back in her chair and nodded and wiped her damp forehead. She took a drink from the plastic cup on the tray in front of her. “Let me see the letter again,” she said.
Jaya loosened the top of her backpack and glanced over at her sleeping parents. She pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper and pressed it smooth in her lap. It was a picture of a glorious stone temple, sitting proudly on a hill, with hundreds of steps leading to the jungle valley below, just like in Priya’s dream. Carvings of gods, boldly painted in dazzling shades of blue, yellow, green, and red, covered every inch of the building, their bodies twisted into various poses, expressing the stories of their lives.
“Here it is,” Jaya said. She ran her fingers along the outline of the temple, imagining the warmth and texture of the stone before passing the paper to her sister. She reached into her pocket and squeezed her lucky walnut, the one that she had found in the park the day her team won the soccer championship. “I hope the entire temple is full of tigers,” she whispered.
Priya rolled her eyes. “Are you making wishes on that wormy nut of yours again?” Sometimes she found it hard to believe that her sister was ten years old. She certainly didn’t act it.
Jaya frowned. Priya always took the fun out of everything. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see a tiger. At least I’m not having nightmares about a temple I’ve never even been to.” She scrunched up her face.
Priya looked at the temple as she had a zillion times before. There was something about it that made her uneasy. Ever since their cousin, Koman, had sent this picture from India, Priya had a hard time blocking the temple from her mind. It had even found its way into her dreams, over and over. At the bottom of the page Koman had scribbled: Kaatu Temple, dedicated to Lord Murugan, god of youth and justice, here the treasure lies. According to Koman, their ancestors had been high priests in this mysterious temple and, legend had it, that a great treasure was hidden within its stone walls, a treasure that was guarded by Lord Murugan himself.
“Do you think Koman knows what he’s talking about?” Priya said. “I mean, Dad has never mentioned anything about a family temple or any kind of treasure.”
Jaya cracked her knuckles. She always did when she was thinking. “Maybe there’s some reason he doesn’t want us to know about it.”
“Like what?”
Jaya shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Do I have to think of everything?”
The temple was deep in the jungle of Annamalai Wildlife Park, near the village of Pollachi in India. As boys, Priya and Jaya’s dad and his brothers, Giri and Ravi, had scampered in the dusty back street neighborhoods of Pollachi, playing cricket until the last breath of sunlight sank behind the cement houses. Although their dad had moved to the United States, his brothers remained in Pollachi, and the families took turns visiting each other across the ocean.
“I’m sure Uncle Ravi knows about the temple,” Priya said. “How could he work at Annamalai and not know about it?” Uncle Ravi often told the girls stories about his adventures with charging elephants and troublesome monkeys that lived in the forest, but he had never mentioned a temple.
Jaya played with the strings on her backpack. “You’re right, he must know. If only there was some way we could get him to take us there, just for a peek.”
Priya took another sip of water. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to visit the temple. Her dreams seemed so real. “Maybe he will, maybe he won’t.”
“I don’t see why you’re so ho-hum about it. It’d be so cool to be out in the hot jungle, dying of thirst, searching for a temple, and maybe getting a chance to see a tiger or two.” She clutched her throat and fell back into her seat.
“Yeah, it sure sounds great. I think I’d rather go shopping in the air conditioning.” Priya swallowed and her ears made a crackling noise. Only seventeen hours to go. She passed the picture back to her sister. Why did India have to be so far away? She picked up a crossword puzzle book and flipped through the pages. Seventeen hours. She settled back into her seat and closed her eyes.
There, perched on top of the arching hill, stood the temple, painted in bold colors that shimmered in the blazing light, with a stone staircase that cascaded down the hillside to the gracious valley below. A chill danced down her spine despite the heat. She couldn’t believe it. She had finally found Lord Murugan’s temple after all these days of searching. The thrill of success shot through her veins, filling her with incredible energy, and she began to sprint up the carefully laid, stone stairs.
At first the ascent was easy, but as time passed, the endless stairway stretched itself further and further, making the task seem impossible. Would she ever make it to the top? Dark clouds bubbled in the restless sky above her and a hot, powerful wind whipped around her tired body and threatened to blow her from the steps. She had a weird feeling that something wasn’t right. If she didn’t turn back now, something terrible was going to happen, she just knew it. But she couldn’t stop herself. The mysterious temple pulled her toward it with outstretched, unseen arms. Her heart raced. She was sure that it would burst at any moment. Her thigh muscles ached as though they’d been pounded by a thousand tiny hammers. Sweat dripped from her shirt, but she didn’t stop climbing. Just as she touched the top step, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She spun around--
Priya woke with a start, struggling to focus her eyes in the darkness. Where was she? She shivered and pulled her sweater around her lanky shoulders. Most of the airplane passengers were attempting to sleep, covered by useless, mini-blankets that reached just beneath their knees. Her sister, Jaya, seated beside her, leaned over and whispered, “Did you dream about the temple again?”
Priya sank back in her chair and nodded and wiped her damp forehead. She took a drink from the plastic cup on the tray in front of her. “Let me see the letter again,” she said.
Jaya loosened the top of her backpack and glanced over at her sleeping parents. She pulled out a wrinkled sheet of paper and pressed it smooth in her lap. It was a picture of a glorious stone temple, sitting proudly on a hill, with hundreds of steps leading to the jungle valley below, just like in Priya’s dream. Carvings of gods, boldly painted in dazzling shades of blue, yellow, green, and red, covered every inch of the building, their bodies twisted into various poses, expressing the stories of their lives.
“Here it is,” Jaya said. She ran her fingers along the outline of the temple, imagining the warmth and texture of the stone before passing the paper to her sister. She reached into her pocket and squeezed her lucky walnut, the one that she had found in the park the day her team won the soccer championship. “I hope the entire temple is full of tigers,” she whispered.
Priya rolled her eyes. “Are you making wishes on that wormy nut of yours again?” Sometimes she found it hard to believe that her sister was ten years old. She certainly didn’t act it.
Jaya frowned. Priya always took the fun out of everything. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to see a tiger. At least I’m not having nightmares about a temple I’ve never even been to.” She scrunched up her face.
Priya looked at the temple as she had a zillion times before. There was something about it that made her uneasy. Ever since their cousin, Koman, had sent this picture from India, Priya had a hard time blocking the temple from her mind. It had even found its way into her dreams, over and over. At the bottom of the page Koman had scribbled: Kaatu Temple, dedicated to Lord Murugan, god of youth and justice, here the treasure lies. According to Koman, their ancestors had been high priests in this mysterious temple and, legend had it, that a great treasure was hidden within its stone walls, a treasure that was guarded by Lord Murugan himself.
“Do you think Koman knows what he’s talking about?” Priya said. “I mean, Dad has never mentioned anything about a family temple or any kind of treasure.”
Jaya cracked her knuckles. She always did when she was thinking. “Maybe there’s some reason he doesn’t want us to know about it.”
“Like what?”
Jaya shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. Do I have to think of everything?”
The temple was deep in the jungle of Annamalai Wildlife Park, near the village of Pollachi in India. As boys, Priya and Jaya’s dad and his brothers, Giri and Ravi, had scampered in the dusty back street neighborhoods of Pollachi, playing cricket until the last breath of sunlight sank behind the cement houses. Although their dad had moved to the United States, his brothers remained in Pollachi, and the families took turns visiting each other across the ocean.
“I’m sure Uncle Ravi knows about the temple,” Priya said. “How could he work at Annamalai and not know about it?” Uncle Ravi often told the girls stories about his adventures with charging elephants and troublesome monkeys that lived in the forest, but he had never mentioned a temple.
Jaya played with the strings on her backpack. “You’re right, he must know. If only there was some way we could get him to take us there, just for a peek.”
Priya took another sip of water. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to visit the temple. Her dreams seemed so real. “Maybe he will, maybe he won’t.”
“I don’t see why you’re so ho-hum about it. It’d be so cool to be out in the hot jungle, dying of thirst, searching for a temple, and maybe getting a chance to see a tiger or two.” She clutched her throat and fell back into her seat.
“Yeah, it sure sounds great. I think I’d rather go shopping in the air conditioning.” Priya swallowed and her ears made a crackling noise. Only seventeen hours to go. She passed the picture back to her sister. Why did India have to be so far away? She picked up a crossword puzzle book and flipped through the pages. Seventeen hours. She settled back into her seat and closed her eyes.